Updated 10.12.10 at 2:22
p.m.

A funeral mass for Jack McGetrick, the Bellarmine men's lacrosse
coach who passed away after a nearly two-year battle with cancer,
will be at noon Saturday at St. Agnes Church, 1920 Newburg Rd., in
Louisville. The university will hold a "a celebration of Jack's
life" immediately following the mass at the Amelia Brown Frazier
Convocation Hall.

"Jack McGetrick will be sorely missed," said Bellarmine
President Joseph J. McGowan. "He was not only loved and revered by
his Bellarmine players and family, but across the entire lacrosse
community. The courage with which he battled not only cancer but
any obstacle he faced should be an inspiration to us all."

*****

Bellarmine University men’s lacrosse coach Jack McGetrick
passed away at about 5 a.m. Saturday in Louisville, Ky., after a
nearly two-year battle with cancer, the university announced
Saturday. He was 60.

McGetrick, Bellarmine’s coach since 2004, had been diagnosed
with prostate cancer about two years ago. The cancer had spread to
his bones.

Bellarmine sports information director John Spugnardi confirmed
the passing. More information will be released by the university as
soon as possible.

McGetrick’s battle with cancer inspired fundraising
efforts on his behalf, and an outpouring of support among players,
coaching peers and others in the lacrosse community as he underwent
chemotherapy treatments.

“It’s a great loss for the lacrosse community, no
doubt about that,” said Jack Emmer, who coached McGetrick at
Cortland and was a close friend. “Jack was greatly respected
by his peers, and never once did he say ‘Uncle.’ He
never felt sorry for himself and was very tough until the very end
even though it was utterly painful for him the last
few weeks.

"I talked him about once a week and he always had his chin up,
always was going to win this race. But it finally got to him. He
was a real champion, in my opinion, an unheralded guy in the
coaching ranks. He was dedicated to the game of
lacrosse.”

Despite his condition, McGetrick continued to coach and led
Bellarmine to a 9-6 record in 2010. The Knights beat Ohio State,
14-13, in overtime in the final game of their season.

“I intend on beating cancer,” McGetrick told Lacrosse
Magazine Online last March. “I can’t say that every day
is good, but I haven’t missed a practice or a game. Sometimes
I have to really push myself.”

When Hartford, where McGetrick previously coached, played
Bellarmine last season, half of the proceeds from the game –
$2,362 – were donated to the “Everybody Works for
Jack” foundation, which was created to help McGetrick pay for
his medical expenses.

Before becoming the first head coach of the Bellarmine program
more than six years ago, McGetrick coached Hartford for 11 seasons.
He was named the 1997 USILA National Coach of the Year.

“It brought back a lot of fond memories,” McGetrick
said of the game that raised money on his behalf. “I had some
very good memories there. It was nice to be appreciated after all
these years and see old friends. Plus it didn’t hurt
winning.”

The Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association
(IMLCA) also had established an emergency fund to help McGetrick.
College coaches coordinated clinics in January to raise money.

“Jack McGetrick was a guy that was always in better shape
than everybody else, not only as a player, but when
coaching,” Emmer, chair of the Coaches Emergency Fund, said
in January. “Weight training, running marathons, he had this
mentality that he was almost indestructible. His physical fitness
level in a sense hurt him, because he was fit as a
horse.”

In 1987, McGetrick ran the Boston Marathon, with a sub-three hour
finish time. That same year he won the 35-40 year old age division
of the Cape Cod Ironman competition.

McGetrick compiled a career college coaching record of
132-115.

Bellarmine unveiled the Jack McGetrick Plaza and Locker Room,
dedicated by the school to the coach, when Maryland came to play in
Louisville last Februrary.

“He’s one of the most likeable guys you’d ever
want to meet,” Pat Meiser, the Director of Athletics at
Hartford, told LMO in March. “He’s the most natural
coach that I’ve ever been around. He loves the game and loves
young people. Anybody who has ever met Jack knows how big his heart
is.”

McGetrick is survived by his wife, Lysa, and four children,
Trista, Devon, Eamon and Connor.